The Falling Snow
by Sambina
Summary: oneshot. They were just going to go iceskating for a short amount of time. Kaoru meets Kenshin at the lake for an hour, the longest hour of her life.


A/N: Hey everyone I have so many ideas that even though I didn't finish my other stories I have a new one! Yay! Well maybe just for me….

Disclaimer: I don't own RK

The trees were covered in snow and all around her snow was falling in a steady pace. Kaoru sat alone holding two things as she remembered that this was were it all began. She opened a small red notebook. Its pages were worn and wrinkled from getting wet with tears. This little book had been her source of comfort for over a year. The book fell open at the spot that had been read so many times. The familiar lump in her throat began to form as she read it aloud to herself.

I sat and watched the steam rise off my cup of tea. I picked up the glass and walked over to my window to admire the view. Many people feel those gray clouds and no sunshine is depressing but in my case it works in the opposite. I love the feeling of cold air filling my lungs, and sipping tea or cocoa by the fire snuggled next to the one that you love. The one you love…for me that was always one of my best friends but he doesn't know that I care about him. Today though I was going to tell him that I can't be without him…confess my feelings, but I'm so scared of rejection. The thought of pouring my heart out just to be shot down is terrifying. But by the time I got to the last bit of tea it was cold enough for me to gulp it down. So I ran upstairs to my room and looked in my closet. I picked out a beige colored sweater and put it on along with some jeans. I grabbed my wine colored scarf and draped it around my neck. I crossed the still stuffy room to my mirror and looked at my reflection. Using the brush that lay on a table next to me I put my long black hair in a high ponytail with my familiar ribbon. Something about my face today made it look like my sapphire eyes stand out more today than usual.

"Hmmm… maybe the twinge of red on my cheeks." When I was satisfied with my appearance I left through the front door. There was a thin layer of snow carpeting the ground. I heard it crunch under my feet with my every step. It wasn't a long walk to the place where I was supposed to meet Kenshin. How would I tell him? Maybe I could just wing it and go with whatever comes to me. Before I could figure it out I was at the lake that had been frozen over. It was so beautiful, the pines towered above me leaving a refreshing sent, and snow had just begun to fall. Sitting alone by the lake was Kenshin, his fire red hair stood out against the background. As I approached him he turned to greet me with a smile and a whisper of hello. I sat net to him and restrained from sitting too close.

"Kaoru why are you sitting so far away? I'm not sick I promise." Kenshin said reassuringly. Maybe I was a little too careful because a yard away was too much. I moved in closer to him and found my shoulder barely touching his. Great now I was too close but it didn't bother him.

"So Kenshin why did you want to meet here?" Kenshin waited a little before answering as if something was bothering him and he needed to collect his thoughts.

He turned to look at me and said, "I wanted to tell you something, remember? Then maybe we can go and skate on the ice."

"Kenshin I didn't bring any ice-skates with me." I wish I had thought to bring them. Then from out of no where a box wrapped in white paper adorned with a red bow sat before me. "Kenshin what's this?"

"If I tell you then it won't be a surprise." Knowing I would get nowhere with him I began to tear it open. In the box was a new pair of skates, just waiting to be used. "So want to give them a try?" I didn't know why Kenshin had bought me a pair but I would save that question for later.

"Sure." I said standing to go skate with him. We sat at the lake's edge and put the skates on. The first few steps on the ice were a bit wobbly then I was stable. It was so long since I had been on ice.

Flashback

Today is the day our mommies were gonna teach us to skate! This gonna be so fun then Kenshin and I can come out alone and skate all by ourselves. I ran from my room in to my moms and jumped on the bed. "Mommy today is the day you are gonna teach us to skate with Kenshin's mom!" I continued to jump on the bed until I realized that in my excitement she wasn't there. "Mommy?"

"Kao. I'm downstairs." She said loud enough for me to hear upstairs. I went to my room and put on a sweater, sweats, and a scarf. Then after putting my hair up in a bow and brushing my teeth I went downstairs to eat breakfast. Being so exited left me unable to eat very much so after a lot of forcing and finally satisfying mommy with how much I ate we left for the lake. When we got there Kenshin and his mom were already standing on the ice.

"Like this Kenshin just try to get your balance and get a feel for the skates." I heard his mom instruct. I rushed to put my skates on and joined him on the ice forgetting that I needed help doing so. I fell right on my butt but my mom helped me up.

"A bit too exited aren't we?" was what she said when I was standing. I was unable to keep up and found my behind one with the ice again. After a long day of falling, on my part, Kenshin and I were finally able to skate on our own.

End of flashback

"Kaoru, is something bothering you? You look deep in thought."

"Oh, no it's nothing I was just remembering the day that we learned to skate."

"Ha Kaoru do you know how many times you fell?"

"Well Kenshin you weren't in touch with your inner ice skater either." I said teasing. I missed days like this when he and I could just talk without thinking each word through before it was delivered. "So Kenshin what did you need to tell me?" Suddenly he was close to me.

"I wanted to tell you that after all this time I can finally say that I love you."

"What? Kenshin are you feeling okay?" My mind was racing I had no idea why he wanted to tell me this right now. Then I realized he saved me the trouble of telling him the same words myself.

"Kaoru you don't have to answer I'm just telling you so that you know. I realize that it is abrupt and sudden but there couldn't be a better time. I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"No its not that, its just I never thought you would say that." Kenshin leaned in for a kiss. Before I knew it our lips parted and he was skating in a different direction. "Kenshin where are you going?"

"Nowhere Kaoru I just feel like going fast but I'll be back soon." I watched as he built up speed not knowing that the next few minutes would be the longest in my life. Suddenly I heard a crash and Kenshin was nowhere to be found. Then I realized what might have happened. Moving towards the direction he went as fast as my abilities let me I remembered Kenshin had always been a better skater than I had. When I finally got to the spot there was a big hole where he had crashed through the ice. He was trying to stay afloat in the freezing water.

"Kenshin! Grab my hand!" It felt like hours before I was able to pull him from the water. He was lying face up on the ice…unconscious. I did the best I could to revive him but was unsuccessful. Kenshin wasn't breathing and I felt him leaving me. The tears that had erupted out of my eyes were hot on my cheek. "Kenshin…don't leave me I love you." Still there was no response. Right there I realized that he didn't hear what I said.

Kaoru closed the book and left it along with a bottle containing a rolled up note tied to stay that way in a red bow at the middle of the lake. Then she went home and never looked back again. A month latter a little boy and girl went to go ice-skating. They found an odd mound of snow in the middle of the lake. They uncovered a wet red notebook and a bottle. They opened the bottle and took out the note. After untying the bow they unrolled the note and read it out loud.

"What does it say?" the boy asked the girl.

"It just says _I love you too._"

A/n: I'm pretty sure you guys understand that it says that because Kaoru never got the chance to say the same words to Kenshin. Hope you liked it. So leave a review if you guys want a sequel or something. Thanx .


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